PhD thesis

My PhD thesis can be found here. The research focussed on the electronic properties of gold atoms and hydrogen molecules contacted between electrodes. Selected highlights are the discovery of two new types of atomic and molecular switches which can be considered as the world's smallest switches ever made. 

---

Other publications:

Transition Voltage Spectroscopy and the Nature of Vacuum Tunneling.
M.L. Trouwborst, C.A. Martin, R.H.M. Smit, C.M. Guedon, T.A. Baart, S.J. van der Molen, J.M. van Ruitenbeek, Nano Letters 11(2), 614 (2011).

The mechanical response of lithographically defined break junctions.
E.H. Huisman, M.L. Trouwborst, F.L. Bakker, B.J. van Wees, and S.J. van der Molen, J. Appl. Phys. 109, 104305 (2011).

De eerste workshop ‘Physics with Industry’.
M.L. Trouwborst, and E. J. R. Vesseur, Nederlands Tijdschrift van de Natuurkunde: 01, 77, 24 (2011).

Bistable hysteresis and resistance switching in hydrogen gold junctions
M.L. Trouwborst, E.H. Huisman, S.J. van der Molen, and B.J. van Wees, Phys. Rev. B 80, 081407 (Rapid communications) (2009).

Single atom adhesion in optimized gold nano junctions.
M.L. Trouwborst, E.H. Huisman, F.L. Bakker, S.J. van der Molen and B.J. van Wees, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 577052 (2008).

Stabilizing single atom contacts by molecular bridge formation.
E.H. Huisman, M.L. Trouwborst, F.L. Bakker, B. de Boer, B.J. van Wees and S.J. van der Molen, Nano letters 8, 3381 (2008).

The role of Joule heating in the formation of nanogaps by electromigration.
M.L. Trouwborst, S.J. van der Molen, B.J. van Wees, J. Appl. Phys. 99, 114316 (2006).

Mechanics of lithographically defined break junctions.
S.A.G. Vrouwe, E. van der Giessen, S.J. van der Molen, D. Dulic, M.L. Trouwborst, B.J. van Wees, Phys. Rev. B 71, 035313 (2005).